KUALA LUMPUR: Government services, particularly counter transactions, are operating normally nationwide as the work from home (WFH) policy for the federal public sector kicked in on Wednesday (April 15).
Most federal government buildings and premises have minimal staff in the office but counter services are running smoothly, including Urban Transformation Centres (UTC) for critical services like the Immigration Department and police.
Putrajaya, the federal administrative capital, is noticeably quieter, with most civil servants in the ministries working remotely from home.
Most government buildings are now in a low-power state, with dimmer lights and just half the lifts in operation.
Azlina Suliman, an accountant in the Accountant General's Department, said civil servants have taken the WFH policy in stride, following a clear schedule and structured workflow.
Azlina said officers must log tasks in the system, use office laptops, prioritise core duties and set up a conducive workspace to maintain office-level productivity during the WFH period.
"When working from home, I log in and out online, check in hourly and use a virtual private network (VPN) for system access. Fieldwork and task assignments carry on unchanged," she said.
The WFH implementation is a strategic response to the global energy crisis arising from the Middle East conflict and applies only to federal civil servants in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and state capitals living more than 8km from their office.
The policy does not apply to security, defence, health or education staff. WFH days depend on the state's weekly holiday: Tuesday-Thursday for Sunday holidays; Monday-Wednesday for Friday holidays.
